In this opening verse, Sri Ramana Maharshi points out that Self-realisation does not arise from karma (action) itself, but from understanding and dissolving the sense of doership behind the action.

Drawing from the essence of the Upanishads, he points out a fundamental flaw in the doctrine that views Karma as supreme. Karma, he says, is jada—inert and insentient. That which is insentient cannot be the Ultimate Reality, nor can it bestow liberation. This is why he asks: “Since karma is insentient (jada), how can it be supreme?”

One may object that karma clearly bears results, and therefore must have independent power. However, this assumption does not stand up to scrutiny at the practical level. Results are never produced by action alone; they arise from many factors working together. A person may work hard to build a business, yet its success depends on a multitude of conditions aligning perfectly. This is why not everyone who works hard achieves the same outcome. To claim sole credit for success is to overlook the unseen forces and the ordaining power of God that truly govern results.

Maharshi clarifies that actions yield results only by the will of God (Ishvara). Karma itself has no independent capacity to produce fruits; the outcome of any action is governed by a higher order. The belief “I did this and therefore I achieved that” arises from the ego, which wrongly identifies itself with the body.

This mistaken identity—“I am the body”—is the root of the problem. The sense of doership arises only when one limits oneself to a form. With this basic error, the entire world of forms, within which action seems to take place, is imagined. In Uḷḷadu Nāṛpadu (Verse 4), Maharshi asks:

“If one’s self is a form, then the world and God will also be forms. If one’s self is not a form, who is there to see their forms, and how?”

Therefore, through this verse, Bhagavan gently warns the seeker against claiming ownership of actions. The moment one claims the fruit (phala) of action, a doer (karta) is born. Along with the doer arises the experiencer of pleasure and pain, leading to bondage. As Maharshi states in Uḷḷadu Nāṛpadu (Verse 38):

“If we are the doer of action, we will experience the resulting fruit.”

One might argue that enjoying good results is desirable, but this also rests on a weak foundation. Claiming the fruits of action reinforces the ego, inevitably leading the individual deeper into samsara.

However, one must not misunderstand Maharshi’s words and stop working entirely. What is required is not the abandonment of action, but the abandonment of the sense of doership. In Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi (Talk 41), he clarifies:

“Do not leave karma. You cannot do so. Give up the sense of doership. Karma will go on automatically. Or karma will drop away from you. If karma be your lot according to prārabdha, it will surely be done whether you will it or not; if karma be not your lot, it will not be done even if you intently engage in it.”

It may appear that Maharshi is referring only to the path of Karma Yoga here, but this applies to all paths. Even in Bhakti or Yoga, if one operates with the belief “I am the body,” the ego remains. The truth is that the real doer is the Higher Power, not the individual personality. To ignore this is to take credit for results that belong to the Divine order.

In Talks (Talk 39), Sri Ramana describes the correct attitude:

“Let action complete itself. So long as there is the doer, he must reap the fruits of his action. If he does not think himself the doer there is no action for him. He is an ascetic who has renounced worldly life (sanyasin).”

The harmful effect of attributing karma to oneself is that it perpetuates the cycle of birth. While the destiny currently in motion (prarabdha) must be experienced, the feeling ‘I am the doer’ generates new seeds of karma (agami). This accumulates as the storehouse of karma (sanchita) and guarantees future births to exhaust the results.

To break free from this cycle, one must enquire into the source of this “doer.” Through enquiry, the false self is seen through, and the binding power of karma is dissolved. Maharshi gives the ultimate solution in the second half of Uḷḷadu Nāṛpadu (Verse 38):

“On enquiring, who is the doer of action?, one knows oneself, then the doership is lost and the triple karma also falls off. This is the state of liberation which is eternal.”

This is the import of the first verse of Upadeśa Undiyār: recognize the Ordainer, surrender the sense of doership, and turn inward to find the Truth.